Test and Trace misses over third of coronavirus contacts

Fewer people who have had close contact with coronavirus victims in Sunderland are being reached through the Test and Trace system, new figures reveal.

The figures come as NHS Test and Trace reached its lowe st ever proportion of close contacts nationally – with some 40% of people not being found and advised to isolate.

D at a f ro m t h e D e p a r tment for Health and Social care shows 5,467 people who tested positive for Covid -19 in Sunderland were transferred to the national Test and Trace service between

May 28 and October 28 – with 939 new cases in the latest seven-day period.

This led to 12,003 close c o ntac t s b e i n g i d e nt i f i e d over the period, but just 61.7% were reached – a figure that has fallen steadily over a sixweek period.

That was still better than the 59.2% average success rate across the North East as whole.

Across England, 58.5% of contacts were reached and told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace in the latest week to October 28.

NHS Test and Trace is the national centralised service with local health protection teams dealing with cases l i n ke d to s ett i n g s suc h a s hospitals, schools and prisons.

The national system has come under sustained pressure in recent months because of a steady reduction in the number of people being traced. Justice Secretary Robert Buckland has said the month-long lockdown that began in England on Thursday will be used to “redouble our efforts” to expand the programme.

He said it is also vital to increase the speed at which test results are returned.